For three years, people have reported losing more money on romance scams than on any other fraud type identified in Sentinel, a fraud database. In 2020, reported losses to romance scams reached a record $304 million, up about 50 percent from 2019. Read more →

First, I received emails from my credit union that $1,500 then $2,300 were possible fraudulent charges. I called and sure enough, a scammer from Sweden was trying to charge those amount to my credit card. The credit union flagged the fraudulent charges, and the money was never charged to me. Read more →

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued an order Tuesday against a debt collector and its owner for harassing thousands of consumers, falsely threatening them with legal action. The CFPB found that Yorba Capital Management and its former owner, Daniel Portilla Jr., violated federal law. Read more →

This week, I wrote the 100th issue of my newsletter Helpful Money Tips for You. To celebrate, instead of offering my usual 10 tips, I offered 100. To sign up to get my free newsletter, go to http://eepurl.com/gkZ6JH. You'll get it in your email. Read more →

Scammers are taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to steal money from people. During these chaotic times, knowing about possible scams is the first step toward preventing them. Scammers are inventing new schemes as well as repurposing old ones. Be alert as you go about your covid daily lives. Read more →

It isn’t over yet, so keep wearing masks and social distancing. It’s worrisome that people are rushing to go to activities again. While it’s exciting that millions of people are being vaccinated, kids are back in school, and the cases and deaths from coronavirus went down and are now plateauing, this is far from over. Read more →

When I was writing my weekly Helpful Money Tips for You newsletter (see Newsletter heading above to subscribe), I ran across an article by a women who was upset because a new coffee shop in her area turned out to be secret “nutrition club,” a recruiting tool for Herbalife. Read more →

American Medical Collection Agency or AMCA has agreed to resolve a multistate investigation into a 2019 data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 7 million people, and possibly exposing the personal information of up to 21 million throughout the United States. Read more →

Two companies that operated a massive phone operation that placed 1.3 billion deceptive fundraising charity calls to 67 million consumers have agreed to settle charges by the FTC and states. The defendants collected more than $110 million using mostly illegal robocall solicitations.  Read more →

National Consumer Protection Week is a time to understand your consumer rights and take a look at whether you’re making well-informed decisions about money. Here are some activities and resources offered by the Federal Trade Commission for National Consumer Protection Week or NCPW: Read more →